1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compositions comprising mixtures of certain amino acids and vitamins useful in cosmetic formulations for topical application to the skin, hair and scalp.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of compositions containing amino acids and vitamins have long been known to be used with a host of dietary formulations either as nutritional supplements or in conjunction with other medicaments to correct specific physiological dysfunctions. All of the prior art patents reviewed containing amino acid-vitamin components generally involve the oral ingestion or the intravenous injection by the subject of the amino acid-vitamin combination formulation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,914,419 discloses stable aqueous multivitamin preparations containing amino acids for intramuscular injection. U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,416 discloses an encapsulated nutrient comprising vitamins, amino acids, lipids, enzymes and minerals. U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,287 relates to an amino acid food composition comprising all the essential amino acids and vitamins. U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,437 discloses a distingerable and palatable tablet comprising specific vitamins and amino acids. U.S. Pat. No. 3,256,095 discloses a complete synthetic diet comprising an amino acid-vitamin composition. U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,930 also relates to a dietary composition having the subject combination. U.S. Pat. No. 3,639,587 provides amino acid-vitamin compositions as components for medicinal compositions for animals.
The prior art also discloses the use of amino acids alone as components in hair or scalp conditioning compositions. In this regard, U.S. Pat. No. 3,778,502 discloses a method of combatting scaling of scalp by applying to the scalp a solution of specific amino acids together with other organic acids. U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,576 relates to compositions comprising as an active ingredient, a derivative of cysteine or cysteamine, which is useful for the treatment of skin and scalp. U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,659 relates to hair bleaching compositions containing arginine or various proteins or polypeptides having a high arginine content. U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,761 relates to a shampoo composition containing as an essential conditioning ingredient a relatively high level of beer solids which, of course, contain a mixture of amino acids.
However, none of the prior art references disclose the specific combination of amino acids and vitamins for topical application according to the present invention which unobviously improves the general appearance of the skin, hair and scalp.